ILA, USMX to discuss container royalties next week

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Three days of negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association and their employers ended on Wednesday without a labor agreement to replace the one that expires on Dec. 29. The union said talks aimed a working out a new master contract with employers, represented by the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), will resume next week on Dec. 18 in Newark, N.J., with the discussion focusing on container royalties, an assessment based on the weight of containerized cargo that amounted to a collective $211 million in 2011. In a statement posted on its Facebook page , the ILA said "USMX is looking to return to a CAP on Container Royalty reducing the amount of money ILA members receive as a wage supplement. The...